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A History | Revolutionary War Battles | The Siege of Charleston - 1779/1780
The Siege of Charleston - 1779/1780
The British began a southern strategy by beginning a siege of Charleston, South Carolina. The siege lasted until May 9th
when British artillery fire was close enough to set the town on fire and force a surrender. A perception continued among
the British that the South was full of loyalists just awaiting the call from the British. At the end of December 1779
General Clinton succumbed to this view and headed south with a small army. His goal was to capture Charleston, South
Carolina. Clinton approached steadily, arriving opposite Charleston on April 1. He then began a classic European siege.
The British dug siege trenches ever closer to the wall of the city. Day by day, week by week, the British got ever closer
to the wall of the city. In the meantime both sides exchanged artillery fire, the Americans trying to make the British
task as difficult as possible, while the British hoped to terrify the Americans into submission. By the beginning of May,
the British had advanced within a few feet of the American lines. Their artillery fire was soon becoming deadly and on May
9th many of the wooden houses in Charleston were set on fire by the artillery fire. The city elders had enough and requested
that the American commander Lincoln surrender, which he did. The British victory in Charleston was pyrrhic. There was no
popular uprising and instead South Carolina degenerated into a period of chaos.
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